Mayer Amschel Rothschild
- Schönche Jeannette Rothschild
- Amschel Mayer von Rothschild
- Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
- Nathan Mayer von Rothschild
- Isabella Rothschild
- Babette Rothschild
- Carl Mayer von Rothschild
- Julie Rothschild
- Henriette Rothschild
- James Mayer de Rothschild
- Amschel Moses Rothschild
- Schönche Lechenich
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (23 February 1744 – 19 September 1812; also spelled Anschel) was a German-Jewish banker and the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty.[1] Referred to as a "founding father of international finance", Rothschild was ranked seventh on the Forbes magazine list of "The Twenty Most Influential Businessmen of All Time" in 2005.[2]
Early life
Mayer[3] Amschel Rothschild was born in 1744 to an Ashkenazi Jewish family, in the Judengasse, the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire (now Germany), one of eight children of Amschel Moses Rothschild (d. 1755) and his wife, Schönche Rothschild (née Lechnich; d. 1756).[4][5]
The ancestry of the Rothschilds can be traced back to 1577 to Izaak Elchanan Rothschild (Isaac (Isaak) Elchanan Bacharach, zum Hahn), whose name is derived from the German zum rothen Schild (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red shield", in reference to the house where the family lived for many generations (At the time, houses were designated by signs with different symbols or colors, not numbers).[6] His grandchildren and descendants took this name as the family name and kept it when they relocated in 1664 to another house in the Judengasse—Hinterpfann ("[house in] the back of the saucepan")[7] — which became the family's home and place of business through to the early 19th century.
Amschel's father had a business in goods-trading and currency exchange. He was a personal supplier of coins to the Prince of Hesse. The family home above the shop had a front wall 11 feet (3.4 m) wide, where more than 30 people lived at that time.[citation needed]
Business career
With the help of relatives, Rothschild secured an apprenticeship under Jacob Wolf Oppenheimer at the banking firm of Simon Wolf Oppenheimer in Hanover in 1757.[8] The grandson of Samuel Oppenheimer taught Rothschild useful knowledge in foreign trade and currency exchange, before he returned to his brothers' business in Frankfurt in 1763.[9]
He became a dealer in rare coins and won the patronage of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Hesse (who had also earlier patronised his father), gaining the title of "Court Factor" in 1769.[10] Rothschild's coin business grew to include a number of princely patrons, and then expanded through the provision of banking services to Crown Prince Wilhelm, who became Wilhelm IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel in 1785. Business expanded rapidly following the French Revolution when Rothschild handled payments from Britain for the hire of Hessian mercenaries.
By the early years of the 19th century, Rothschild had consolidated his position as principal international banker to Wilhelm IX and began to issue his own international loans, borrowing capital from the Landgrave.[citation needed]
In 1806, Napoleon invaded Hesse in response to Wilhelm's support for Prussia. The Landgrave went into exile in the Duchy of Holstein, but Rothschild was able to continue as his banker, investing funds in London. He also profited from importing goods in circumvention of Napoleon's continental blockade.[11]
Rothschild dynasty
In 1798, third-born son Nathan Mayer Rothschild was sent to England to further the family interests in textile importing with £20,000 capital (equivalent of £2.7 million in 2023)—the first foreign branch. Nathan became a naturalized citizen in 1804 and established a bank in the City of London. In 1810, Mayer entered into a formal partnership agreement with his three eldest sons, thus founding M. A. Rothschild & Söhne.
In 1811, the Grand Duke of Frankfurt enacted a special law "decreeing that all Jews living in Frankfurt, together with their descendants, should enjoy civil rights and privileges equally with other citizens."[12] In exchange for these newfound liberties the Jews had to pay him 440,000 florins, financed by Mayer Amschel Rothschild (at a substantial profit).[12] A number of Masonic Jews at the time also petitioned the Grand Duke for the "exclusive right to maintain lodges in the city", which was granted.[12]
The youngest son of Mayer Amschel, Jacob, was sent to Paris the same year, in 1811, enhancing the family's ability to operate across Europe. This enabled them to profit from the opportunity of financing Wellington's armies in Portugal, requiring the sourcing of large quantities of gold on behalf of the British government.
Rothschild died on 19 September 1812 in Frankfurt am Main. He was buried at the old Jewish cemetery in Frankfurt, located next to the Judengasse. His grave still exists. A park was named after him, and also a street (Rothschildallee). In 1817, he was posthumously ennobled by the emperor Francis I of Austria.[11]
His descendants furthered the family fortune across Europe—the "five arrows" of banking. Eldest son Amschel Mayer took over the Frankfurt bank and Salomon moved to Vienna. Nathan turned the London branch into one of Europe's most powerful banking institutions (N. M. Rothschild & Sons), Calmann (gentrified to "Carl") set up a branch in Naples and Jacob ("James") opened de Rothschild Frères, becoming a giant of finance in Paris.
Family
- Mayer Amschel Rothschild married Guttle Schnapper (1753–1849), daughter of Wolf Salomon Schnapper, on 29 August 1770.[13]
- Schönche Jeannette Rothschild (1771–1859), married to Benedikt Moses Worms (1772–1824)
- Amschel "Anselm" Mayer Rothschild (1773–1855)
- Salomon Mayer Rothschild (1774–1855), married to Caroline Stern
- Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836), married to Hannah Barent Cohen (1783–1850), daughter of Levi Barent Cohen
- Isabella Rothschild (1781–1861), married to Bernhard Juda Sichel (1780–1862)
- Babette Rothschild (1784–1869), married to Siegmund Leopold Beyfus [de] (1786–1845)
- Kalman "Carl" Mayer Rothschild (1788–1855), married to Adelheid Herz (1800–1853)
- Julie Rothschild (1790–1815), married to Mayer Levin Beyfus (1790–1860)
- Henriette "Jette" Rothschild (1791–1866), married to Abraham Montefiore (1788–1824) and mother of Charlotte Montefiore (1818-1854)
- Jakob "James" Mayer Rothschild (1792–1868), married to Betty von Rothschild (1805–1886), daughter of Salomon Mayer Rothschild
References
- ^ "Heroes - Trailblazers of the Jewish People". Beit Hatufsot. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020.
- ^ Noel, Michael (29 July 2005). "The Twenty Most Influential Businessmen of all Time". Forbes. Archived from the original on 3 November 2007.
- ^ Elon, p.108. The Germanic form "Mayer" was used from 1802 instead of the original "Meyer".
- ^ Elon, pp. 47,55.
- ^ Pohl, Manfred (2005), "Rothschild, Mayer Amschel", Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German), vol. 22, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 131–133
- ^ Livingstone, Natalie (11 November 2024). The Women of Rothschild: The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty (1st ed.). United Kingdom: John Murray Press (published 2021). ISBN 9781529366716.
- ^ Elon, pp. 41,43
- ^ Spingola, Deanna (2011). The Ruling Elite: A Study in Imperialism, Genocide and Emancipation. Trafford. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-4269-5462-7.
- ^ Elon, p. 59.
- ^ Elon, p.65.
- ^ a b Elon, p.153.
- ^ a b c "Amschel Mayer von Rothschild (1773-1855)". The Rothschild Archive. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ Elon, p.66.
Sources
- Elon, Amos (1996). Founder: Meyer Amschel Rothschild and His Time. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-255706-1.
Further reading
- Berghoeffer, Christian Wilhelm (2003) [1924]. Meyer Amschel Rothschild: der Gründer des Rothschildschen Bankhauses. Paderborn: Salzwasser-Verlag. ISBN 9783863830885.
- Ferguson, Niall (1998). The House of Rothschild. Volume I: Money's Prophets: 1798–1848. New York, N.Y. USA. Viking. ISBN 978-0670887941
External links
- Media related to Mayer Amschel Rothschild at Wikimedia Commons
- Rothschild Archive
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companies
- Rothschild & Co
- RIT Capital Partners
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- de Rothschild Frères
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- Imerys
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- Club Med
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- Vítkovice Mining and Iron Corporation
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- British South Africa Company
- Rio Tinto
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- Caspian and Black Sea Oil Company
- Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway
- Asia Resource Minerals
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- Rothschild properties in the Home counties
- Ascott House
- Aston Clinton House
- Champneys
- Eythrope
- Exbury Gardens
- Gunnersbury Park
- Halton House
- Mentmore Towers
- Tring Park Mansion
- Waddesdon Manor
- Spencer House
- Palais Rothschild
- Château Mouton Rothschild
- Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay
- Château Clarke
- Château de Ferrières
- Château Lafite
- Château de Laversine
- Château des Laurets
- Château de la Muette
- Château Rothschild, Boulogne-Billancourt
- Haras de Meautry
- Hôtel Lambert
- Hôtel de Marigny
- Hôtel de Pontalba
- Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild
- Talleyrand Building
- Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
- Anselm Salomon von Rothschild
- Mathilde Hannah von Rothschild
- Nathaniel Mayer Anselm von Rothschild
- Ferdinand de Rothschild
- Salomon Albert Anmselm von Rothschild
- Ludwig (Louis) von Rothschild
- Eugéne Daniel von Rothschild
- Jeanne Stuart von Rothschild
- Alice Charlotte von Rothschild
- Alfred de Rothschild
- Amschel Mayor James Rothschild
- Sir Anthony de Rothschild, 1st Baronet
- Anthony Gustav de Rothschild
- Anthony James de Rothschild
- Charles Rothschild
- Charlotte Henriette de Rothschild
- David Mayer de Rothschild
- Dorothy de Rothschild
- Edmund Leopold de Rothschild
- Emma Georgina Rothschild
- Evelina de Rothschild
- Evelyn Achille de Rothschild
- Sir Evelyn de Rothschild
- Ferdinand de Rothschild
- Hannah de Rothschild, Countess of Rosebery
- Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild
- Kathleen (Nica de Koenigswarter) Rothschild
- Leopold de Rothschild
- Leopold David de Rothschild
- Lionel de Rothschild
- Lionel Nathan de Rothschild
- Lynn Forester de Rothschild
- Mayer Amschel de Rothschild
- Miriam Louisa Rothschild
- Nathaniel de Rothschild
- Nathan Mayer Rothschild
- Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild
- Nathaniel Rothschild, 5th Baron Rothschild
- Nicky Hilton Rothschild
- Serena Rothschild
- Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild
- Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
- Alphonse James de Rothschild
- Aline Caroline de Rothschild
- Ariane de Rothschild
- Arthur de Rothschild
- Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild
- Benjamin de Rothschild
- Betty von Rothschild
- Charlotte de Rothschild
- Bethsabée de Rothschild
- David René de Rothschild
- Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild
- Edmond James de Rothschild
- Édouard Etienne de Rothschild
- Edouard Alphonse de Rothschild
- Élie de Rothschild
- Elisabeth de Rothschild
- Guy de Rothschild
- Hélène de Rothschild
- Henri de Rothschild
- Jacqueline Rebecca de Rothschild
- James Armand de Rothschild
- James Mayer de Rothschild
- Marie-Hélène de Rothschild
- Nadine de Rothschild
- Nathaniel Robert de Rothschild
- Nicole de Rothschild
- Pauline de Rothschild
- Philippe de Rothschild
- Philippine de Rothschild
- Salomon James de Rothschild
- Maurice de Rothschild
- Gustave de Rothschild
- Robert de Rothschild
- Alain de Rothschild
- Éric de Rothschild
- Marie Angliviel de la Beaumelle
- Category: Rothschild family